Ústí nad Orlicí wants to convert the former boiler house and power plant into a gallery

Ústí nad Orlicí - The town hall in Ústí nad Orlicí plans to convert the former boiler room and substation in the area of the former textile factory Perla 01 into a city gallery. It would allow, among other things, to honorably display the works of sculptor and native of Ústí Quido Kocian. The gallery would become part of the city museum, said Mayor Petr Hájek (Oušťáci association).

"The museum would gain more space for its exhibition activities. At the same time, we would like to create a link to the history of textiles in Ústí nad Orlicí in this space and also establish a permanent exhibition of some works by Quido Kocian," Hájek said.

The city owns several of Kocian's works. However, the main part of the exhibition would consist of loans from private collections. Plaster models could also be displayed. Currently, smaller art exhibitions are held in the Gallery under the town hall, but the space is cramped.

According to Hájek, the objects would retain their existing industrial character even after reconstruction. However, the investment will have to wait until the city completes the costly construction of the House of Children and Youth in the former factory. Some time ago, Ústí arranged a loan of 100 million crowns for the revitalization of the Perla area, but due to the acquisition of a grant of 30 million crowns for the children's house, it will be able to use it for other purposes as well.

Quido Kocian (1874 - 1928), a native of Ústí nad Orlicí, was one of the leading representatives of Czech art at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. He was a student of Josef Václav Myslbek. His work can be characterized as an original form of symbolism, marked by strong expression and featuring Art Nouveau elements. He is often grouped with other prominent contemporaries, including František Bílek, Ladislav Šaloun, and Bohumil Kafka. He shares with them an interest in the psychology of modern man, the dark sides of his nature, and the movement of the human soul.